We are on the right track!

With the Matric results that came out this week, there were again a lot of talk about the state of education in South Africa. The problem areas were once again pointed out to be literacy and numeracy. It is not as if I needed to hear it from someone else. I know it is true. I have seen it over and over again this past year. It is however not enough to identify this problem. Something needs to be done! When I see a child embarrassed in the midst of his/her circle of friends because he/she can not read or do not know how to add a simple number, it hurts. Two questions arise in my mind. 1. What happens to the hope such a child had for a bright future then? (It is a very sad situation when a child looses hope.) 2. Where will that hopelessness take him/her? (I think that we all know the answer to that question. We see the answer on the news everyday.) Thankfully, this is not the only path for such a child. Our path of hope is the Sophakama Tutor Program. Through the STP children can rise out of hopelessness and inability. We take time one on one to lay the foundation for reading and mathematics. We come alongside a child that started to believe: “I can't” and show him/her “You can!” or to those who believe “I don't matter” we show “You are precious!” It is the beginning of a new year. We have an opportunity for you to be part of the team that revive hope in children. To become a volunteer with us, you need to have available an hour twice a week and transportation to get to your place of volunteering. There are currently groups in Central, Kensington, Algoa Park and Gelvandale. We will give training by the end of January so contact me by email: Sophakama2012@gmail.com. It is truly rewarding to be involved with this work. Here are some photos of our last camp at the end of 2013. Peace. Evelyn